My first bearded dragon, any help would be nice.

[hello18]

Hello there,

I just got my first dragon on dec 1st as b-day present. I have been wanting one for a while so the girlfriend decided to get it for me. We went to the pet store and ask the guy to set up a tank for us. So he gave us what we needed. He told me to use carpet until the dragon was one years old, how ever it looks dull inside the tank. When can i start to use sand or other substances. I am a first time reptile owner and really like this little guy. I am including picture on the tank and the products that were purchased for him. If anyone can please give me any insight on what i can do better or should purchased to make this a better area for him. Are there better lights for him and how hot should the basking area be?

I am pretty sure this is a male dragon and i was told he was 5-6 months old. I will get a measurement as soon as he wakes up and crawls from under his rock. I feed him 4 week old crickets dusted with a veg supplement and sprayed with a calcium.

Please provide me with any feedback you can. Also i have not named him yet.

 

[hello18]

 

[citrusdragon]

Well the first thing I noticed was the cf UVB 10.00, I would replace that with a tube UVB 10.0 when possible. I don't provide any hides for young dragons, as they need as much UVB as possible. The reptile carpet is fine, you can also use kitchen cabinet liner, or tile. I don't put mine on clean playsand until they are around 10 inches. While most on the forums avoid recommending sand, as long as the temps are right, and the dragon is hydrated you shouldn't have any impaction problems. As for the cleanliness, sand needs to be cleaned and changed like all other substrates.

Nice dragon and welcome to the forum

Jeff

 

[fresnowitte]

:wave: Hello & Welcome to BD.org!
And..........
Congratulations on the New Beardie!

Thanks for sharing the pic's your new baby is adorable.:love5:

Okay where do I start? Let's start with........

Lighting:

The best UVB bulbs out there are;
Mega Ray
MVB's(Mercury Vapor Bulb) Not recommended for enclosures smaller than a 40gal breeder.These are UVB & heat in one closely simulates natural sun.
Reptisun 10.0 (Tube style)

The UVB bulb that they sold you can be harmful to your beardie.
Never use any Repti-glo, coil or compact UVB bulb as they either don't put out enough UVB or have been known to cause eye problems as well as other health issues.

You don't need to spend the additional money on the basking bulb as any household bulb will do.
(Much Cheap Does The Same)

Supplements:

I'm not personally familiar with your brand of supplements as I use the RepCal brands.(Best Of The Best)

Substrate:

Most member myself included use these substrates;
Tile (love it)
Non adhesive linoleum
Non adhesive shelf liner
Repti-carpet
Paper towel ( works great for babies as they poop several times a day.)

Notice that I didn't mention sand of any kind as any particle substrate works like a "Litter Box"
(harbors bacteria)besides that it can cause impaction(ingest it but can't digest it)especially on little beardie.

Temps and Thermometers:

Temps should be taken with either of these two types of thermometers;
Digital probe
Infrared temp gun
Tape strip and dial styles are known to be up to 20* off

Temps should read directly on the basking spot where your beardie sits between 105*-110*
You need both lights to be at the same end so to create a cool side that your beardie can retreat to if he needs.
Temps on the cool side should be somewhere between 70*-80*.

Nutrition:
Here's a couple of nutritional links that are really good to have.
http://www.beautifuldragons.503xtreme.com/Nutrition.html
For live feeders;
http://www.feedersinc.com/insect-comparison/

Hydration:

Some of use opt to not use a water dish as rarely will they drink from standing water. It only creates humidity which can cause respiritory infections. You can offer your little one water thru an eye dropper, mist, and bath.
Beardies absorb alot of their moisture thru the vent while bathing. This really helps keep them hydrated.
I also mist their veggies as in the wild they like to suck the dew from vegetation to get moisture plus helps keep veggies from drying out.

Hope this helps alittle! :wink:

Again Welcome Aboard!

EDIT:
Again Jeff was faster at posting than me. :lol:

 

[citrusdragon]

lol... I'll wait longer :study: . You're much more thorough

Good stuff on these forums

Jeff

 

[hello18]

My tank is a 40 gallon tank so your saying if i get the mega ray mvb blub then thats like havign a 2 in 1? or is that the repti sun tube style bulb that does that.

I have taken out his little rock/house for now,. i will purchase a new one soon for him to bask on.

i will look into all the brands that you haver told me and make my adjustments. I really want to make him happy so i will try everyign thing possible to help him out.
thanks


jt

 

[citrusdragon]

MegaRays are excellent. They provide the best UVB, for up to a year, and the heat for a good basking area.
They don't work well with all set ups but for an aquarium they are my favorite. And at somewhere around 50.00 delivered they clobber pet store prices.

Jeff

 

[fresnowitte]

I personally perfer the MVB's they simulate the sun the best.
Yes it's like 2 in 1 an you only need to change them every 12 months the packaging says though I usually start changing mine out around 9 months. But do keep in mind that if your only running 1 or 2 MVB's it's not so bad on your electric bill but when you get up to like me.... 8 of them running.... it will jack up you bill.
But to me it is worth it to give them the best that I can. :wink: